


talk about a glow-up

by sylphrenas



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, Modern AU, azula is a lil meddlesome but we stan, but theyre not a main thing, i mentioned zukka a couple times, ty lee is hopelessly in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:28:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26658952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sylphrenas/pseuds/sylphrenas
Summary: Azula and Ty Lee go to meet up with Mai, their best friend who they haven't seen in years. Azula meddles, Mai has a glow-up, and Ty Lee falls hopelessly in love.
Relationships: Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 26





	talk about a glow-up

“Ty Lee! Let’s go!” Azula’s voice carried through the apartment and Ty Lee startled in the middle of tying the laces of her high tops.

“I’m coming, give me a minute,” Ty Lee called back, standing up and adjusting her denim shorts before walking out toward the front door. “Honestly, I don’t see why we’re in such a rush. We’re going to a tea shop; there’s not exactly a deadline.”

Azula crossed her arms. “You _know_ it’s bad manners to show up late to something you planned. We invited her, so we have to be there on time, if not early.”

“I know, I know,” Ty Lee said, “but this isn’t a business meeting or anything, this is Mai! We used to be best friends with her. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“We haven’t seen her in years, Ty Lee,” Azula responded, opening the door and ushering Ty Lee out before locking it behind her. “Who knows how much she’s changed.”

Ty Lee shrugged and hopped into the passenger seat of the car, turning on the radio as soon as Azula turned the key in the ignition. 

Soon enough, they were cruising along the road at a fair amount over the speed limit, thanks to Azula. The only reason Ty Lee wasn’t gripping the handhold above the window was because she knew if she did, Azula would smirk and drive even faster. Ty Lee smiled to herself, thinking about it. The smile faded slightly as she thought about the person waiting for them at the Jasmine Dragon. _Mai._ Her best friend since childhood. Mai and Azula and Ty Lee. Inseparable. Mai, the serious one. Azula, the dangerous one. And Ty Lee, the bubbly one who kept them all together. At least, until Mai moved away after her breakup with Zuko. Zuko said the two events were entirely unrelated, but Ty Lee wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter, anyway, because now Mai was back and she and Azula and Ty Lee would finally reunite. Ty Lee bit her lip, worrying it slightly with her teeth. _What if it’s awkward?_

“It won’t be.” Azula’s response made Ty Lee realize she had spoken aloud.

“How do you know that?” Ty Lee asked quietly. “I mean, you said we don’t know how much she’s changed.”

The car stopped at a red light and Azula turned to Ty Lee, offering her a rare but genuine smile. “She’s still Mai. She’s still our best friend, even if it’s been a while. Besides, if it is awkward, we don’t have to see her again.”

The last sentence startled Ty Lee into laughter and Azula grinned in satisfaction. The levity didn’t last very long, though, because as the light turned green, Azula drove forward and parked in an available space in front of the shop. The shop itself was sandwiched between a bookstore and a restaurant, its vibrant green paint backing the white letters that read “The Jasmine Dragon” in lovely, flowing script and in slightly smaller writing below it, “Tea House of Ba Sing Se.”

Ty Lee looked over at Azula. For all of her seemingly unshakable confidence, her hands were still quivering slightly, so Ty Lee reached over and took them in her own, gripping them tightly.

“It’ll be fine. It’ll be great. This’ll work out. We’re gonna see her and it’s gonna be just like old times.”

“Right,” Azula agreed, squeezing Ty Lee’s hands just as tightly. They hadn’t always been this close. Sure, they had been friends, best friends even, but Azula didn’t really open up until after she emancipated herself from her father. Ty Lee vividly remembered the almost cliche scene; Azula showing up at her doorstep in the pouring rain, tears falling heavily. It was the first time Ty Lee had ever seen her cry, or show any real emotion. Azula had stumbled in and Ty Lee had to almost carry her to the couch, setting her down gently.

_“What happened? Azula, are you okay?”_

_“H-he- Zuko-” Azula could barely get the words out, but she pulled out a paper from the inside of her jacket with shaking hands and handed it to Ty Lee._

_“Emancipation papers? Azula, that’s amazing! You did it!” Ty Lee gasped. Then she remembered the other thing Azula had said. “Wait, what happened to Zuko? Is he okay?”_

_Azula tried to take a deep breath but failed and lapsed into shuddering sobs again. “No,” she said, “Da- Ozai hurt him. Ty Lee, Zuko’s really really hurt.”_

_“Where is he now? And why did this happen? Are you okay?” Ty Lee’s concern erupted in the form of rapid-fire questions, not giving Azula a chance to answer before asking the next one._

_Azula’s eyes widened at the onslaught of questions before she answered, “Zuko’s with Iroh- Uncle- at the hospital. It happened because me and Zuko were trying to leave with our emancipation papers and then he caught us and then they got in an argument and then-” Azula had begun to hyperventilate, tears streaming down her makeup-free face. She looked so much younger than usual- more vulnerable. She looked like a child. With a shock, Ty Lee remembered, Azula is a child._

_Ty Lee hesitated for a moment before sitting beside Azula. She wrapped her arms around the crying girl and asked, “Is this okay?”_

_Azula stiffened for a moment and then nodded, and Ty Lee pulled her closer, squeezing her tighter as if to say,_ it’s okay, I’m here, I’ve got you. 

_Azula burrowed closer into Ty Lee’s embrace, tucking her head under the other girl’s chin before continuing, “D- Ozai asked where we were gonna go if not with him and Zuko said Iroh or Sokka and Ozai asked why Sokka would want to take him in if he’s just a random friend and then Zuko said Sokka’s his boyfriend which we all knew obviously but Ozai didn’t and-”_

_“Hey,” Ty Lee said, rubbing Azula’s back in smooth, comforting strokes. “Take a breath. You’re okay. We don’t have to talk about this right now. Not if you don’t want to.”_

_“No,” Azula said, swallowing hard. “No, I want to.”_

_Ty Lee nodded encouragingly and said, “Okay. Whatever you’re comfortable with telling me.”_

_“Okay. So Zuko said Sokka’s his boyfriend and Ozai got super super upset and he-” Azula paused, voice breaking. Ty Lee squeezed Azula's shoulders in support and waited patiently. “You know the big fireplace? The one in the dining room?”_

_Ty Lee nodded slowly, a growing feeling of fear creeping up through her insides and resting in her throat._

_“Ozai pushed Zuko into it.”_

_Azula said it so matter-of-factly that if Ty Lee wasn’t paying attention she wouldn’t have noticed the tremors of fear in her voice. Ty Lee was paying attention, though, so she offered a hand to Azula who took it, squeezing hard as she continued._

_“Zuko’s face was on fire, Ty Lee. It was literally on fire. And he was screaming and then Ozai was smiling and happy. He was happy, and then I ran out of the room and I was going to call the police but really, the police? They wouldn’t do anything. Ozai has too much influence. So I called Uncle- Uncle Iroh and he came and took Zuko to the hospital.”_

_“Why didn’t you go in the car with them to the hospital?” Ty Lee’s voice was quiet, gently curious without seeming too forward or interrupting._

_“I- I couldn’t,” Azula answered, shuddering at the memory. “It was too much. The burn and his crying and the smell, Ty Lee, it was all too much.”_

_“So you came here?”_

_Azula’s entire body stiffened as if she had only just realized how vulnerable she was. After a moment, she let out a heavy breath and confessed, “I didn’t know where else to go.”_

Looking back, that was definitely the beginning of their real friendship. The moment when Azula was finally willing to open up. Of course, it had taken months of therapy to even begin to unpack all of her trauma, but there was significant improvement once she didn’t have to see Ozai everyday. _Yes,_ Ty Lee reflected, _thank goodness she got ou-_

“Ty Lee!” Azula said sharply, knocking her out of her thoughts and into the present. “Are you coming or not?”

Glancing down, Ty Lee noticed her seatbelt was still on. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly, “I zoned out for a minute.”

Azula smirked and replied, “I noticed. Now let’s go, we’re already-” she checked her watch- “twelve seconds late.”

Ty Lee laughed lightly and hopped out of the car, pulling her crop top down a bit and unfolding the short sleeves from where they had been wrinkled by the car ride. 

As she and Azula walked through the door of the tea shop, Ty Lee glanced around and said, “I don’t think she’s here ye-”

Her voice cut off abruptly as a person approached them. A very, _very_ attractive person. Sleek, straight black hair reached all the way to the middle of their back. Full bangs cut off right above a pair of absolutely stunning dark brown eyes, and Ty Lee’s eyes couldn’t help but trail down to the red lips below them, slightly quirked upwards. Ty Lee’s gaze traveled down, down, down to a- _was this person trying to kill her?_ dark cherry red spaghetti strap crop top. A sliver of skin was visible between the bottom of the shirt and the button of some _astonishingly_ tight flared black jeans, and Ty Lee had to force herself to look back up to meet the eyes of-

“Mai!” Azula greeted and Ty Lee, usually so graceful, nearly fell over. _This_ was Mai. _Talk about a glow-up._

“Uh… thanks?” The gir- _Mai_ said, and Ty Lee realized that she had spoken aloud. Her cheeks burned, but she shoved her embarrassment down.

“Yeah, it’s so good to see you!” Ty Lee said, reaching for a hug, then drawing back and offering her hand to shake. She was hopeless. Mai gave her a funny look, cheeks dusted with red herself, and shook her hand. _Her hands are so soft. And smooth. And perfect._ Ty Lee made sure not to say that part out loud. After what felt like hours, neither of them had let go yet and Ty Lee didn’t want to. Then, she saw Azula’s smirk and flushed even more, drawing her hand back.

Mai didn’t seem to notice or care; her calm, composed demeanor stayed the same as she said, “Do either of you want tea?” _What the fuck, even her voice is hot._ Ty Lee forced herself to calm down. _Chill out. She just asked if you want tea, not if you want to get married._

“Uh-” Ty Lee squeaked before pausing to moderate her voice. “No thanks, I’m not really thirsty.”

Azula’s expression became absolutely wicked as she said, “You’re not _thirsty_ ? I could’ve sworn you were _thirsty_ only a moment ago.”

“Nope, I’m fine now!” Ty Lee attempted to shoot a glare at Azula as she spoke, but all Azula did was smirk and study her manicured nails.

Azula quirked an eyebrow and sauntered over to a nearby table, dropping into the booth and motioning for Ty Lee to sit next to her. Ty Lee shrugged and did so, only realizing once she sat down that she was now sitting directly across from Mai. _Oh, shit._ Ty Lee busied herself with adjusting her seating position until she was sitting with her legs tucked under her. It was almost painful, keeping herself from looking up so she wouldn’t end up creepily staring at Mai. 

Finally, Azula broke the silence. “So, Mai, how have you been? Haven’t seen you since you and Zuzu broke up. Is there anyone new in your life?”

Ty Lee let her head fall forward, burying her face in her hands. She kicked Azula under the table, but Azula’s face just became even more politely curious.

“Ty Lee, is something _wrong?_ ” Azula asked, turning her head slightly.

“No,” Ty Lee got out through gritted teeth. _No. Don’t grit your teeth. That’s bad for your enamel._ She loosened her jaw and said, “Everything’s fine. So, Mai, _do_ you have anyone new in your life?”

Ty Lee saw a spark of something in Mai’s eyes before she said evenly, “No. I haven’t really dated much lately.”

Azula nodded understandingly and said, “Neither has Ty Lee! You two can bond over that, right?”

The glare Ty Lee sent her was more venomous than she ever thought herself capable of. Strangely, Mai also seemed to be glaring at Azula. Or at least, her serious expression had turned more serious and her eyes were narrowed at Azula’s innocent smile. 

“I’m gonna go use the restroom, I’ll be right back!” Ty Lee popped up out of her seat and nearly ran to the bathroom. She locked herself in a stall and took a deep breath. _Okay. Okay. So there’s a hot girl here. And she just happens to be Mai. My former best friend who I haven’t seen in years. And I just embarrassed myself in front of her. And she probably hates me now. And Azula won’t stop embarrassing me. Okay. This is fine. This is okay! I can go out there and ignore Azula and have a conversation and then ask Mai out and get married and- okay, you know what? Let’s just start with ignoring Azula and see if we can get past there._

Ty Lee redid her braid in the mirror purely for stalling purposes and then washed her hands. _Okay, time to go._ She washed her hands again. _Come on._ She sighed and pushed open the door, only to be faced with the current bane of her existence.

“Azula!” Ty Lee exclaimed in surprise. “What are you doing here? You can’t leave Mai alone at the table.”

Azula glanced at the floor and then back up at Ty Lee. She bit her lip slightly and Ty Lee narrowed her eyes.

“What happened?” She looked over Azula’s shoulder and saw an empty table. “Where’s Mai?”

“I… may have gone too far,” Azula confessed, twisting her fingers together. “I may have continued pushing about her romantic life. I was just trying to help you!”

Ty Lee took a deep breath. _In, out._ “Okay. Did you see where she went?” At Azula’s returning smirk, she said, “Oh, _don’t_ even. I’m just trying to fix what we so badly fucked up.”

“Sure,” Azula said, shrugging. “Well, she just left. I saw her go right, so maybe that’s where her car is or something.”

“Okay. Thanks. I’ll text you when I find her.” Ty Lee smiled and then quickly walked through the restaurant, heading toward the door. She opened it and turned right, and there she was. Mai. She was leaning against the wall, fingers a blur as she typed something on her phone. Somehow, she still looked unfairly gorgeous.

“Uh, Mai?” Ty Lee said, walking closer and holding up a hand in an awkward greeting. “Azula said you would be outside. Are you okay?”

Mai looked up, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. _She even did that smoothly._ “Oh, hey Ty Lee. Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? What’d she say?”

“She just asked me more questions about me and Zuko and if I’d met another guy. Considering I’m _very_ gay, that was a hard no, but I sort of left before I could tell her.” Mai’s eyes widened as she realized what she had just said.

Ty Lee was silent for a moment and then started laughing. Mai frowned and started to walk away, but Ty Lee grabbed her hand. 

“No, wait. Let me explain.” Mai turned back around and stood stiffly, waiting. “Zuko’s gay too. Like, really really gay. Like, dating Sokka gay.”

“Sokka?” Mai questioned. “Katara’s brother? He was an engineering major, right?”

“Yep, that’s him! I know, I wouldn’t have pictured them working either. But they do, actually. They’re really cute.”

“Huh,” Mai said, nodding slightly. “Good for Zuko, I guess.”

“I-I’m gay too!” Ty Lee blurted out before she could stop herself. “You told me, so I figured I should tell you.”

Mai stepped slightly closer and Ty Lee swallowed hard, forcing herself to look up from the lips that were only inches away.

“Thanks for telling me,” Mai said in a low, _ridiculously compelling_ voice. 

“Yeah,” Ty Lee breathed, utterly failing at looking away. “No problem.”

“Ty L- _Oh?_ ” Ty Lee and Mai jumped apart like high schoolers caught by their parents. Azula was standing in the doorway of the tea shop, what could only be described as a shit-eating grin on her face. “I _see._ Well, I’m off. Ty Lee, I think you should be able to get a ride-”

“Azula!”

“A ride home, of course. See you there! ...Or maybe not.”

“Azula.”

“Okay, I’m going! Have fun on your _date,_ ” Azula said before turning around and walking off. Ty Lee heard her mumble something that sounded like _Take that, Sokka_ and _Now who’s oblivious?_ Ty Lee decided to ignore all of it in favor of turning back to Mai, who was looking at her with a distinctively warm gaze.

“Well,” said Ty Lee, abandoning all attempts at subtlety or flirtatiousness and shrugging. “How about that date, then? Wouldn’t want to disappoint Azula.”

Mai laughed and Ty Lee thought she could listen to that sound for the rest of her life. 

“I’d love to.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading, i hope you enjoyed!!  
> comments and kudos always appreciated but no pressure :)  
> find me on tumblr at @blue-drarry-drarry-blue or my atla blog @sukisbxtch  
> HUGE credit for ty lee and mai's outfits goes to @sokka-with-his-hair-down on tumblr (@SokkaWithHisHairDown on ao3) (and thank you again for letting me put it in my fic i super super appreciate it!!)  
> link for the post with said outfit drawing is: https://sokka-with-his-hair-down.tumblr.com/post/629814880486260736/click-for-better-quality-mailee-for-the


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